


Love Doesn't Discriminate (Between The Sinners and The Saints)

by MaddyEggy



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Asahina Aoi, Background Fukawa Toko, Background Hagakure Yasuhiro, Bonding, Character Study, Child Abuse, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Confessions, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dehumanization, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eye Trauma, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Found Family, Future Foundation (Dangan Ronpa), Fuyupeko, Grief/Mourning, Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Prostitution, Kamukura Izuru Project | Hope Cultivation Plan, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko Swears, Major Character Injury, Minor Sonia Nevermind/Tanaka Gundham, Neo World Program (Dangan Ronpa), Nightmares, Past Child Abuse, Post-Neo World Program (Dangan Ronpa), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Hope's Peak Academy, The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, Training, fuyuhiko deserves a hug, mikan gets a little character development... as a treat, natsumi and fuyuhiko get to interact because i said so, peko deserves to be happy, this is my comfort ship and i get to decide how i make them suffer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29348097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddyEggy/pseuds/MaddyEggy
Summary: The tool and the wielder, the king and the knight, two sides of the same coin.The same story has been told again and again, of a tragedy so full of despair that not even the reader can stomach it.Peko Pekoyama and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu have fallen into that exact same trap, filling out their roles down to perfection... Almost.They find life in each other, comfort in each other, love in each other... Hope brought them together.And yet...Despair will tear them apart.
Relationships: Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Pekoyama Peko, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko, Kuzuryu Natsumi & Pekoyama Peko
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	1. Part One: Realization

**Author's Note:**

  * For [my nigga lawliet that posted that fuyupeko edit i love so much euuuugh](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=my+nigga+lawliet+that+posted+that+fuyupeko+edit+i+love+so+much+euuuugh).



> I made a playlist for you to listen along to while you read (your choice of course)  
> Regardless, I hope you all enjoy my first fic in the Danganronpa fandom!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3A9SzdEIy0YoczA2FeUbvA?si=pEZ9CSQhQ3it5OzDgvS3LQ

I met her when I was barely old enough to know my own name.

Her eyes bore into mine, red, wide, and full of innocence, and in her left fist, a stick-like object seemingly bigger than her.

That was the day I met Peko Pekoyama. She was only a month or so older than me, so I figure she would not have known what was going on either.

In a sense, today was supposed to be a special day for both of us, but later in life when I would look back on this day, a strong, almost overwhelming sense of sadness would envelop my whole being.

I soon realized that that day, that day was the last time I would ever see her eyes like that, so innocent, and full of life. I didn’t know it at the time, because back then, as far as I knew, I was a normal infant and so was she.

It wasn’t until I grew up a little bit that I learned her story. Abandoned by her parents hours after she was released from the womb, she was brought from one of the clan-controlled hospitals to my father, who took her in.

The doctor sensed great potential from her from that point on, and she would later be proved right.

_‘The Pekoyama Clan is an honorable clan of swordsmen, from samurai warriors, bodyguards, and kendo masters, all the way to forging their own blades to use in combat. They have served the great kings of the past and the respectable leaders of the present. While we do not know why they would bring leave their heir to us, we believe it was fate that allowed these events to play out.’_

My father had explained that to me soon after I turned three-years-old, and I had already becomes used to seeing Peko around almost every waking moment of the day. I would watch Peko train, and I would string her along to the koi pond to look at the fish and the frogs.

_‘We will raise her to be the best hitman the underground has ever seen. I believe that is something the Pekoyamas would have wanted her skills used for.’_

As far as I was concerned, back then, swords were just cool but far too heavy for me to ever dream of holding.

And then he said those words I would find myself resenting many, many years down the road.

_‘When you are old enough, you may use her however you wish.’_

These words were the catalyst for many events later in life, words that wormed their way into my brain and refused to leave for years and years to come. Words that would forever fill me with guilt, regret, and shame.

Even at that age, I knew exactly what those words meant because he used that exact same language when referring to my mother.

Back then, I thought it was the words couples used to refer to each other lovingly, but I would soon come to learn that wasn’t the case at all.

In the world I would soon begin to find my place in, nothing was ever what it appeared to be on the surface.

Years had passed, and one day my father decided to bring Natsumi, Peko, and me to oversee a deal going on in the mountains. He wanted us to know exactly what we were getting into as direct links to one of the biggest Yakuza syndicates in Japan.

Halfway there, it began to snow. Mere minutes passed and the snow only got worse.

And just like that, the SUV holding Peko and I swerved off course and slammed into a tree.

At some point, I lost consciousness, because at some point I was barely awake, and all I could feel was the warmth of my own blood against the snow.

“-aster! Young master!”

I woke up and saw Peko staring at me. I noticed the right sleeve of her long-sleeved button-up was missing, leaving her arm completely exposed to the cold.

“All the adults are knocked out, come on, we have to go.”

She took my hand, and I followed her without question.

Peko seemed to have a great sense of intuition as she led me through the snow, my body vibrating at the cold with my face at her back.

Peko showed no fear, her entire body completely still despite the cold, but I knew better.

I could feel the way her hand was tensing around mine, and it wasn’t shaking. In my conscious ignorance, I believed she just wasn’t cold…

But, there was another part of me that knew much better.

Why wouldn’t she be shaking? It was freezing…

And without knowing, I immediately began sobbing, slowly delving into uncontrollable crying.

I quickly tried to console Peko, and why I thought I would be successful, I had no idea… But I had to try, didn’t I?

In the end, I believe I only served to make Peko more anxious. She started visibly shaking and never regained that firm exterior she had before. Her voice was almost completely unchanged aside from the occasional, out of place, stutter, and even so, she did all she could to protect me.

That very same night, due to my focus on Peko over everything else, I hadn’t been able to warn her of our captors…She was caught off guard and subdued and I could do nothing.

Even though Peko still lived, I couldn’t help feeling a little hopeless.

Some time passed, and we were presented as bargaining chips to both my father and the other members of the Kuzuryu Clan. He gave my father an ultimatum: The Kuzuryu Empire, or us.

I knew my father would pick the clan over us, but he knew something I didn’t: Peko was an absolutely extraordinary woman.

The potential seen in her from the moment she was brought to our door hadn’t even been on full display then, but that didn’t stop me from being absolutely awed as she brought down our captors with practiced ease… Someone the same age as me doing something so extraordinary…

The sight filled my heart with so much hope, and as I was sent off to get my head wound treated, I was blissfully ignorant of the war within myself this would cause.

All I could think about as I looked at her by my side was: “I want to be like her.”

|-|-|

This was a pattern I soon came to realize.

After that incident, I noticed it: Whenever I got myself into trouble, especially then, she was always there by my side.

When I gave Natsumi trouble and vice versa, Peko was there. When I had childish whims I “needed” to act on, Peko accompanied me with a firm grip on my hand. Hell, even when a year or so after that incident, I climbed into a monkey cage at the zoo to show off my “strength” to her, she was helping me back out with a barely visible smile on her face.

That’s why… I couldn’t believe the situation I had put her in.

After that incident, I still couldn’t help but find myself absolutely enamored with the Kuzuryu clan and all its internal workings.

_‘Fuyuhiko, there are many things you will need to learn before taking over this empire. You have everyone in your pocket, from the police to local doctors, but you must remember this and remember it well. You must be willing to compromise, but never be afraid to take what is rightfully yours. You must be firm and unwilling to waver, but most importantly, you must treat those under you with the utmost respect. This empire was built on their foundation and continues to stand tall on their shoulders. If they feel they have no reason to respect you or support you, the foundation will crumble. Do not forget these words, Fuyuhiko, lest you be thrown to the wolves by the very people who swore to protect you.’_

While I usually found myself disgusted by the man that raised me, when he talked of his work and the people behind the curtain, I respected him.

I wanted to continue what those before had started, but there was one woman who firmly disagreed with that… In fact, she fought my very existence.

The cycle was full of hatred… They would fight over my future like rabid animals for their prey, and then the next thing I knew, my mother would be at my father’s feet, begging for mercy.

I know why she begged… She was a tool too.

Haruhi Nakamura was her name before she married into the Kuzuryu clan. Per my fathers' description, she was a whore who married rich, only good for serving as a bargaining chip for when he didn’t get what he wanted.

I remembered how after the fights were over after her tears seemingly dried up, she would turn her sights on me.

“Hiko… Hiko please, please tell me you won’t do it! Tell me you won’t!”

Every time it was the same thing…

She’d beg, she’d cry, and when it was apparent I had tapped out, she would strike me, and tonight was no different.

I remembered her pale skin, her grey eyes… Her bruised face, broken nose, and smeared makeup…

I remembered her screams… And I remembered her hands tight around my neck.

At my mother’s mercy, I felt true despair.

And then she appeared, a silver lining in the darkness, cutting through the despair that stared me in the eyes every day. She stood tall, unwavering, her blade clutched in both hands. She helped me to my feet, staring at me with those red, dull eyes.

_‘Are you ok, young master?’_

Initially, I had been speechless, but eventually, I managed to choke out the words:

_‘H-How did you-?’_

_‘Your voice called out to me, so I came.’_

She grabbed my hand that night and led me away, talking about my wounds and how Natsumi wasn’t around to help “this time.”

As I followed her around, the disgust with myself only grew…

And then I did something I would regret for years to come.

I wrenched my hand away, and when Peko reached out to me, I shoved her away and started yelling, saying anything that popped into mind at the time.

It was like I was completely out of both my mind and body, like I had no control whatsoever…

And that made me **afraid** of myself.

Even so… After I had done something so unnecessarily cruel and hurtful, after not stopping to apologize for it, she still patched my wounds up for me. Peko still showed me kindness I knew I had done absolutely nothing to deserve.

She had spoken to me once she was done, and her voice was so commanding I couldn’t help but meet her eyes. In those eyes where that wide-eyed innocence once laid was a calculating stare. The moon reflected off her glasses as she spoke to me, the words of truth that had been planted in her head flowed from her mouth effortlessly as she said:

“I am your shadow, young master. And wherever you go, I shall follow.”

Even then, all I could think about was myself… I never once thought about Peko and how she must have felt about her situation.

All I could do was sit in absolute fear and disgust of myself.

Peko said… She said my voice had called out to her, but as far as I know… I had stayed silent.

And yet the thought lingered.

I saw Peko’s wounds that she obtained from the scuffle. A bruise there, a few bleeding scratches… They were minor and would fade, but they were wounds nonetheless.

If she got involved like that because I called out to her… And if she continued getting involved because of me…

Then it was my fault she was getting hurt.

The pattern once again became glaringly obvious to me, and the reality of the situation finally began to sink in.

Almost every time I got myself into trouble, it was at her expense. I was making unnecessary trouble for her, and for what?

Peko didn’t deserve to get hurt because of me, and she shouldn’t have to be spewing that young master shit either!

I was going to fix this… I was going to fix this and reverse the effect I actively played a part in.

|-|-|

Admittedly, when I was eight years old, that goal seemed so simple, something I could accomplish overnight…

I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

As I grew older alongside her, I began to become painfully aware of my flaws, my focus shifting once again.

My physique. I stopped growing before the end of middle school and there was jack shit I could do about it. My face was still childish, and all my peers sprung up like trees around me. It didn’t help that my knack to cause trouble in this state seemed to have ruffled feathers of some of the members.

My cousins called it “Little-Man Syndrome,” in which I made up for my lack of stature with brash words and obvious posturing, and they were so right, it hurt.

And in my haste to prove myself a worthy heir, I lost sight of that goal…

Again, and again, she came to my rescue when I got in too deep. As grateful as I was, my anger only increased at my uselessness.

If I couldn’t find it in myself to help her, how could I even find myself worthy of running the clan? If I couldn’t help myself, how could I help others and protect those close to me?

These questions were constantly on the forefront of my mind, and at times I lay awake at night not only fearful for my life, but hers as well.

_What if she died protecting me?_

_What if I died and she could do nothing and-and-._

I didn’t want to think about it, but after my middle school graduation, I forced myself to come to… A realization of sorts.

Maybe I dreamed too big… If I let my ambitions get too ahead of me now, I would always fail to catch up and, I’d never be able to reach them… I had to focus on what I could do right now, and in the close future.

I may not be able to protect everyone in the clan, and some may have to lose their lives, but that’s a given…

However, the people close to me, the people I loved, and the people whose lives mattered to me above all else, I could protect them…

If I could protect Peko and Natsumi, that would be enough.

|-|-|

While I think Peko knew, she never made any moves to confirm she knew. Natsumi, on the other hand, was nosy and assigned herself my right-hand woman.

“Peko hates sweets… Try leaving her some savory or salty snacks! And a water bottle with a towel for when she takes her breaks. Some bandages and stuff like that would be good too I think, you know, just in case.”

I listened to every word Natsumi said like it was the gospel, writing down a list just in case she forgot.

“How the hell do you even know this stuff?”

Natsumi crossed her arms and legs with a roll of her eyes, “How do you NOT know this stuff? We spend alone time together from time to time, probably because she’s the only broad here that tolerates me. She probably feels comfortable with me or somethin’…”

She must have seen something on my face because she immediately followed up with, “Or maybe it’s a hitwoman thing!”

“Yeah… Something like that.”

“Anyways, she’s always in the garden from about 6 pm to practice and takes a 10-minute break around 7:30-.”

Thanks to Natsumi, I had a plan.

At around 7:10 pm, I grabbed a tray from the kitchen and began to load it up with a water bottle, a couple towels, rubbing alcohol, and a few snacks and brought it to the garden by 7:20. I placed it near Peko’s things, which consisted of her shoes, her blade cover, and some extra hair ties.

Peko was really in the zone… She wore a lot of clothes, but I can only assume it was apart of her training, but… Every hit she took was so practiced and precise, so smooth and yet sharp all the same. Her body and mind were in complete sync with every hit she took at the dummy.

I sat by the koi pond and watched for only a brief moment, completely taken in by the way she moved.

She was absolutely incredible, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was otherworldly.

This was the first time since that incident I had really, truly watched her at work. With every movement, she took my breath away, and I occasionally caught myself cheering for her in my head despite the fact she was fighting a dummy and… I had to see more.

The way she moved had me in a trance up until she stopped to take her 10-minute break. I took that as my signal to go as I didn’t want to intrude any longer.

I kept up this routine, even during the summer, except now I did it twice a day instead of just once: one time at 2 pm, and again at 6:30 pm. And each time, I stayed behind for a while to watch Peko train.

Peko was truly amazing… Truly, I couldn’t peel my eyes off of her because I didn’t want to miss a single second. While usually, I would only watch for ten minutes until her break, this time I stayed behind even after her break. She was fighting a training partner, and she was holding her own very well...

It was like I was in a trance of some kind…

“Young master?”

Busted.

I jumped a little bit when I was face to face with her, “A-Ah! Peko, what’re you-.”

“You were staring off into space,” she pointed to the koi pond, “If you weren’t paying attention or had fallen asleep, you could have fallen in and drowned.

I think at this point she must have expected for me to shrug her off or snapback with some smartass comment, but the words never came.

I was far too focused on the open wound on Peko’s forehead.

“Dumbass, you’re bleeding! That guy musta hit you too hard!”

“It’s only a small wound yo-.”

I grabbed her hand and immediately brought her over to where I knew I put down the tray.

“Tch, dumbass! Just sit still!”

I doused one of the towels I brought with some rubbing alcohol and gently dabbed at the wound of Peko’s forehead to clean it, moving some stray hairs out the way so they wouldn’t get wet.

“I can dress my own wounds, young master...”

“Didn’t you hear me? It’s fine!”

Peko visibly withered, and I immediately regretted raising my voice.

“L-Look, I just wanna prevent you getting an infection… Lord knows the old man’ll throw a fuckin’ fit if you get one. It’s no big deal ok?” I sighed, “Besides, you did the same for me way back when right?”

“But… That’s different.”

“How’s it different? I got hurt, you fixed me up and now I’m doing the same.

She didn’t appear to have a good argument for that, because her eyes refused to meet mine afterward.

The heavy silence became too much, even if it had only been a few seconds.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, Peko.”

“There is no need for you to apologize, young master. You need not have any consideration for how I feel.”

I began to unwrap the bandages, cutting off a small portion that I believed would properly cover and protect the wound. “What are you talking about?”

“As your tool, it is my duty-.”

And the world seemed to stop the second those words left her mouth.

“The hell did you just say?”

“Only the truth.”

I hesitantly applied the bandages to the wound on her forehead.

“The truth? Don’t be fuckin’ ridiculous!” I stood up abruptly, “You’re not a tool at all!”

“But it is my duty and purpose to act as such in your name… And if you are to deny that, are you trying to deny my existence, young master?”

“I... I don’t know! All I know is that you’re not a tool!”

I couldn’t bring myself to watch Peko’s practice any longer after that.

|-|-|

One day, all three of us were called into my fathers’ quarters. The air was tense and foreboding, and none of us knew what was to come.

The room was surrounded by Kuzuryu clan guards. A few minutes after our entrance, my father walked in with two women by his side, my mother on his right, and someone unfamiliar on his left.

She had a black, bobbed haircut, and she wore a pantsuit. She had three letters in hand, and glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose.

“Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the eldest child and heir to the Kuzuryu yakuza syndicate. Natsumi Kuzuryu, the youngest child and second in line in the circumstance something happens to your brother. Peko Pekoyama, excellent swordswoman and raised by this household,” the woman nodded, “Excellent, all here and accounted for!”

She laid her predatory gaze on all of us, and as her mouth twisted into a smile, I swore I saw her teeth glint.

I was uneasy, and I could tell Peko was too. One of her hands and moved ever so slightly to anticipate grabbing her bamboo sword. Natsumi, on the other hand, was completely still, almost scarily so. She stared straight ahead, facing that woman head-on.

“Peko Pekoyama, we are offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend our school. You see, I’m a scout for Hope’s Peak Academy, and many of our trained men have reported you to have the makings of an ultimate, the ultimate swordswoman, in fact.”

Peko’s hand moved back to its standard position on her lap, which in turn made my heart settle a bit.

“Your skills are absolutely exemplary Miss. Pekoyama! It’d be a crime if either of us let this opportunity go to waste.”

The woman handed Peko a letter with a shiny, red stamp on it, and Peko hesitantly took the letter.

The woman turned her eyes on Natsumi and Me next, and that uneasy feeling returned full force.

“Now, I’ve heard very interesting reports about you two… Fuyuhiko, they say you have the work ethic and confidence, but you are also arrogant and brash and it gets you into trouble.”

I sighed, “It’s true… Sometimes I can come in too strong and end up trying to overcompensate.”

She looked over at Natsumi, “Now you, young lady, about you, I’ve heard just the most interesting things!”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Like you’re a complete ice-cold bitch, unwavering, bold, and never afraid to take what you believe to be yours. You have a way with words unlike your big brother, a natural charisma I’d say. You have the makings of a wonderful yakuza heiress, wouldn’t you agree?”

And then Natsumi did something I never would have expected from her.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed at the woman, “Tch, you’re just sayin’ that ‘cause you think I’m some dumb broad right?”

“P-Pardon?

Natsumi had the whole room in the palm of her hands now, and everyone was anticipating her next words.

“You think I don’t see what you’re tryin’ to do here? You’re trying to disrupt the chain of command!” her face turned up in a hideous sneer, “Fuyuhiko was meant to be fathers’ successor, I’m tired of all this pushy bullshit!”

“So what if I’m the mirror image of Uncle? That doesn’t mean shit to me!” she pointed her finger right at herself with an intimidating tilt of her head, “I’m not gonna get into HPA’s main course by leeching off of someone else, you hear me?! I won’t take a position by taking a position that wasn’t ensured to me by blood, understand?!”

“All the more reason to have you in the main course, but after that show of refusal…” she adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat, “Fuyuhiko, we expect to see you at Hope’s Peak Academy to partake in our main course as the Ultimate Yakuza, do you have any qualms with that?”

“N-No ma’am..”

“Then it’s settled. Orientation is in a few weeks; the date is stated in your letters.”

And just like that, as quickly as it had begun, it was over, and I had barely been able to absorb anything that the scout had said.

My mind was stuck on what Natsumi had just done.

I chased her down the first second I could, “What the hell was that?! Why would you give up such a big fuckin’ opportunity the way you did?!”

She brushed me off with an irritating scoff, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Hell no!”

She turned to face me, hand on her hip with a smirk, “I’m gonna get in using my own damn talent! Those old bastards in there? All they want is someone perfect, someone just like Uncle, who “lead them to greatness!” to hell with that! I think you’ll be a great heir, but they don’t see it at all! That’s why I turned ‘em down, ‘cause you already fit the role! I’m not gonna fit a role that doesn’t fit me no matter what they say!”

I was stunned into complete silence, but Natsumi still had more to say.

She turned back around and looked back at me with that same annoying smirk, “Besides, you and Peko are a package deal, right? Wherever one goes, the other has to follow right? I couldn’t bring myself to tear the two of you apart like that.”

I went red immediately, “What the hell are you fuckin’ talkin’ about dumbass?! It’s not like that at all!”

Natsumi already started to walk off with a wave of her hand, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody, especially Peko!”

I wanted to yell something back, but I knew she would shake it off as usual so…

“Thanks… For what you did back there.”

She stopped in her tracks and looked back at me, “Are you sick or something? You’re barely ever this sincere!”

I went red once again, “Sh-Shut up! It’s not that serious… I’m just thankful is all.”

Natsumi’s laughter immediately filled the hallway, “Get some rest ok? I think you might be coming down with somethin’!”

I knew she was just showing she appreciated the sentiment, even if it came off a little bit mean… But that was just Natsumi.

And in the coming weeks, I would be off to Hope’s Peak Academy, Peko still by my side.

I had to pull her outside before the first day.

“Is there something my young master requests from me?”

I closed the door behind us, “No one’ll interrupt us here…”

I felt a sudden spike in Peko’s uneasiness, so I turned the lights on so we could face each other.

If I screwed up here…

I pushed those thoughts aside without finishing them.

“Listen, I brought it up to the old man a while back, and we both agreed that while we’re at school, we should only act like classmates. If the Ultimate Yakuza and the Ultimate Swordswoman were caught acting all chummy it might be a bad look.”

I knew I was lying through my teeth, but I knew her better than anyone, and I knew that if she kept all her focus on me, she would do something reckless…

Not here, not at Hope’s Peak. I can’t let her do something like that and risk it all for someone like me.

She doesn’t deserve a fate like that.

“I don’t believe I will be able to abide by that request, young master.”

“How many times have I told you not to call me-.”

“My purpose was given to me by the clan. They gave me a reason to live as both your sword and shield, and they also gave me something to die for. Without someone at the helm, I am nothing but a tool, an object to be used at one’s disposal.”

“How much longer are you going to go on about that crap?!”

“As long as it takes for you to see my truth.”

“You’re being ridiculous! I don’t care how many damn times you say it, you’re not a damn tool!”

“Young master… The day you accept the fact that I am both your sword and shield, the easier it will be for you to accept it when I inevitably meet my end.”

All words were lost on me. What should I say? What could I say?

Every day, Peko was so close, but it still felt like we were drifting farther and farther apart, never able to see eye to eye on this subject. The words I wanted to say were dying on my tongue, and even if I wanted to say them, it felt much too soon to…

All I knew… I wanted Peko to see herself through my eyes, the way I saw her. She was more than she thought she was, but she didn’t know that.

And yet, despite my overwhelming desire to tell her all these things, to come close and never let her get hurt again like she did that night… I found myself staring at her retreating back, her resolve unshakeable.

I would have to do better.

If there was one thing I knew I never wanted, it was for her to leave me behind. Even if I had to act distant, I would still be by her side, no matter what.

That was a promise I knew I could make to myself and her.

|-|-|

I didn’t remember then. I only remembered when I woke up from the simulation.

I remembered the good times at Hope’s Peak: Ibuki and TeruTeru’s rock ‘n roll barbecue and Akane who would happily indulge with Nekomaru’s oversight. I remembered the odd love corner between Sonia, Kazuichi, and Gundham, along with Mikan and Hiyoko’s push and pull dynamic paired with the sibling dynamic Hiyoko had with Mahiru and Nagito’s knack to get into unnecessary trouble. There was Ryota’s passion and Chiaki’s hope along with her love for gaming.

And I remembered Peko and I getting to act like we were somewhat normal for once, despite the circumstances.

I cherished them and the memories I made before they had been forcefully ripped from my grasp and replaced with the memories of the things I had done under Junko Enoshima’s insurmountable despair.

Blood and carnage decorated my mind, and I knew that no matter how long I ignored it, the damage I caused could never be erased.

Once again, I became something I absolutely despised and lost track of my ambitions.

In my despair, I had done the one thing I never **ever** wanted to do: I gave in to the notion that Peko was my tool, my property, and nothing else but that.

I became the worst version of myself, and never had I been more disgusted with myself.

My memories were still hazy in that regard, but in all that remaining despair, laid a hope that would conquer all else.

Because these memories are mine… These memories of mine, I can grow past them, and I can become better than them.

Because **they** gave me another chance. Those in the Future Foundation gave us another chance.

Another chance to live.

|-|-|

NOW ENTERING THE NEO WORLD PROGRAM

WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROCEED?

(NO) [(YES)]


	2. Part Two: Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was too late.  
> You said nothing until it was too late.  
> Perhaps you deserve to suffer, to wallow in your despair...  
> Or maybe... Hope has some use for you after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again dropping the Fuyupeko Fic playlist, eugh  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3A9SzdEIy0YoczA2FeUbvA?si=pEZ9CSQhQ3it5OzDgvS3LQ  
> In other news, thank you for reading and tapping into the second part of this fic!

The school trip on Jabberwock Island… I didn’t know what to think about it at first.

It gave off a peaceful, but really suspicious vibe. I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it, how we suddenly went from a grimy-ass classroom to a bright and colorful tropical island. Then again, Hope’s Peak was an exclusive school for the best of the best, they probably did shit like this all the time…

I didn’t plan on acting nice with any of these bastards anyways…

But then Monokuma appeared and everything went to shit.

There was a constant air of suspicion and anxiety in the air, even if they tried to hide it by holding a party so everyone could get to know each other and show that there was nothing to fear.

A little part of me wanted to leave life behind and practiced exactly what I preached to Peko. Pretend for just a little bit that I was more than just “young master” or the heir to a yakuza family’s empire…

But I resisted, and because I wasn’t there by her side…

Peko was accused of having a part of having a hand in Byakuya’s murder.

So what if she went to the bathroom when she was supposed to be guarding the stupid weapons box?! It’s a normal ass human function and someone sabotaged her! That wasn’t her fault at all!

She wouldn’t do anything like commit murder without someone’s say so, and as I didn’t want to admit it, it was true.

But… She was alive. That was the best-case scenario.

|-|-|

Soon after Byakuya’s killing, Monomi, formerly Usami, came to tell us remaining she had defeated one of the many Monobeasts that were blocking off the bridges that lead to the other islands. We explored the second island, but there wasn’t much special about it besides a diner, another beach, and a beach house to go with it.

A day later, Monokuma introduced his latest way to get us to kill each other: A videogame by the name of “Twilight Syndrome Murder Case.”

That stupid bear said it was based on real-life events, but whether that was true or not was up to the player, right?

As a group, it was decided, “If no one plays, no one will have a motive to kill anyone.”

What a load of bullshit… They had to have known that simple logic was exactly what Monokuma wanted!

Humans were curious by nature, and I knew I wasn’t immune, so that night, I crawled out of bed and got ready to leave my cottage.

Then there was a knock at the door.

 _Peko…_ I would know that knock anywhere.

I opened the door for her, “How did you know?”

She was fully dressed, her sword on her back, “You have a knack for not following the rules, young master.”

I sighed, “Yeah, you caught me. I was gonna play the stupid game and see what all the damn fuss was about.”

“Are you certain that this is wise?”

“Well, I guess we’ll find out, won't we?”

I shouldn’t have played that game... Something about the events in the game seemed so familiar, but because of my stolen school memories, I couldn’t place the overwhelming of déjà vu I was getting to a real-life event. It felt like all these characters too were so close and yet really far away.

When I beat the game the first time, I was left with a significant feeling of dissatisfaction… And I was frustrated because of those stupid words on the screen.

_‘Down five.’_

“The hell? That’s all?!”

No… There had to be more. Pieces of the story were missing, and there was no way Monokuma (the bastard) would do something like that on accident.

So my mind went back to that sleepy-ass gamer girl, Chiaki… She was the Ultimate Gamer, so she’d probably figure this out without a problem. So I had to think like her, right?

Wrong... Because by pure coincidence, I stumbled upon the solution by pressing the start button five times until “truth mode” was revealed to me.

Peko was standing at a distance, her eyes squinting as she tried to see the screen. I stepped back from the machine, “You want a turn?”

Peko’s head snapped toward me and she shook it, “No… I’d rather not.”

“C’mon… You’ve been watching my back this whole time, someone has to watch yours.”

And at that, she finally stepped up to the arcade machine.

“Truth edition? Did you discover something?”

“Damn right I did!”

I got her all caught up on the events of the standard edition best I could, and Peko appeared to listen with great interest.

“Really? Interesting… I’ll do my best to complete the game.”

I watched over Peko’s shoulder, which was quite difficult considering the height difference, but regardless I was able to piece together key events from this version and the one I initially played.

“So Girl E killed someone close to Guy F and… Girl D covered it up, and the other three wanted nothing to do with the conflict…” I mumbled as I watched Peko play, “Did I get all that?”

“Seems so.”

I continued to watch Peko’s gameplay, but at some point, I stopped looking at the screen and opted to look at Peko’s focused expression instead.

Even in troubling times like these, when despair lurked around every corner, I had hope. My hopes completely laid with her.

It was times like these, almost completely silent the world went around me, and the empty space filled with her… Only her.

I once heard someone say romantic epiphanies were one of the best things you could ever experience in your lifetime, and if I had any say in it… This was it.

I may have had one in the past and just never realized it, but this feels like the first time since I got here that my mind has truly been clear.

I placed my hand close to her, effectively turning her attention from the game to me.

“We’re gonna get out of this alive, ok? We’re gonna see Natsumi again, and we can beat up those bastards that put us in this fucking situation…” I gave her a confident smirk, “Everything is going to be ok.”

Peko seemed dumbfounded for a second, but slowly, a real, genuine smile crossed her face.

“You’re right, young master.”

I was so caught up in seeing her smile I forgot to correct her on calling me young master. It was the first time I had really ever seen her smile… And it was blindingly beautiful.

Peko turned back to the game, “If you don’t mind, would you like to take back over?”

“I would rather us finish it together if that’s ok with you… I mean, we both contributed, right? We should both finish it.”

Peko made some space for me at the machine, and we both took control of certain functions up until the ending screen.

This is exactly how things should be; her and me side by side, none of that master, tool bullshit…

Besides, it felt like things were much better this way.

I could only hope to have more moments like this.

“Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu!”

But, of course, something always had to ruin it.

“Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, Peko Pekoyama! You both have discovered the truth behind my motive and somewhat solved my mystery!” Monokuma appeared suddenly, a file in their… paws?

“You son of a- What the hell was?! You said this motive was based on our lives at Hope’s Peak, but I don’t remember any of this shit!”

“Well if you let me finish, babyface-.”

“Who the hell are you calling baby face you piece of shit?!” I started toward him, but Peko grabbed my arm, effectively stopping me from doing something I’d surely regret.

“While I do admire your teamwork, I’m afraid I can only give one of you the grand prize!”

“Give it to my yo-, Fuyuhiko.”

“Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu! There’s no need for any of that, Miss. Pekoyama! I know everything, including the nature of your relationship!” Monokuma stated that fact so casually it hurt, “But regardless, here you go, Fuyuhiko!”

I was handed the file, and Monokuma disappeared.

Peko and I sat down at a nearby bench and I unwrapped the string keeping the file closed.

I took out three photos: One of Ibuki, Hiyoko, and Mikan, another of a broken flower vase… And…

“I-Is that-.”

The final photo in the file was a picture of her… Natsumi Kuzuryu, my little sister… Blood leaking from the top of her and slumped against the stage in what looked like a music room.

Suddenly, everything I had been thinking about up until that moment ceased to exist, and everything in my head became tv static.

I felt the world around me spinning, my body vibrating in pure rage.

Natsumi Kuzuryu couldn’t be dead… She can’t be dead!

“There’s no fuckin’ way any of this crap is true!” I shouted, jumping to my feet, “We both just saw Natsumi only a few days ago, she can’t be fuckin’ dead!”

I looked again in the file Monokuma handed us, and suddenly everything started to click into place.

Mikan had to be Girl A… She was timid and constantly got picked on by Girl B, and if the events of this damn game really are based in reality, Girl B has to be Hiyoko. No one picks on Mikan more than that shitfaced midget. By process of elimination, Girl C was Ibuki…

A rock settled in my stomach as the gears in my brain ground to a stop.

Girl D had taken these photos, hadn’t she? And if the photos were of people from our class then…

Mahiru Koizumi was Girl D.

“No… No, no, no, this doesn’t make any damn sense!”

“But Monokuma said these were based on a real-life event at Hope’s Peak… And if we’ve both come to the same conclusion…

“That shitty redhead knows who killed Natsumi and kept quiet! That bitch!”

I immediately turned to Peko, searching for a solution in her eyes. Peko, in return, kept her wits about her and appeared to be in deep thought.

“This is exactly what Monokuma wants from you, he wants you to think these photos and the game are real!”

“And what if they are?! What then, that shitty redhead knew what she was doing when she covered up Natsumi’s murder, and I’ll be damned if I let this slide!”

I could tell Peko disagreed with me, there was the slightest change in her facial expression where her eyes narrowed, and her chest slightly puffed out. In all honesty, I hoped she disagreed…

Maybe if she allowed herself the freedom…

“Young master, I know you said our professional relationship doesn’t exist on this island, and that I should live a normal school life, but everything about this is far from normal. I am willing to lend you my strength… Because Natsumi was your family, and it is my duty to protect anyone you hold dear.”

“Then protect yourself!” I wished I said… But I didn’t.

Instead, I turned from her and looked at myself, “No… If push comes to shove, I want her blood on my hands. You can’t get the result you want without getting your hands dirty, right?”

I heard the sound of air sharply entering her nose, but still, nothing was said.

Peko and I went our separate ways, and our timing couldn’t have been better…

Because Hajime and Chiaki came to play the game too.

|-|-|

I left the envelope at Mahiru’s cottage early in the morning along with a letter summarizing the events of the game and requesting a meeting with her and the other girls.

I didn’t expect a letter in return, but what I got was much less satisfying.

Mahiru went out of her way to avoid me at all times, and as much as I didn’t want to resort to something like this… It had to be done if she wanted to play hardball with me, or at least that’s what I believed.

I did enlist Peko’s help in setting the scene, and I was even ashamed of asking her for help on that…

Why was I doing things like this?

I looked at Peko, dressed in her black swimsuit, helping me set the scene for my meeting with Mahiru. She was focused and appeared to have no interest in talking.

Damn it… She should be meeting with the other girls right about now, right? Even after all this, she was still trying to live a normal school life.

Damn it… What the hell was I thinking?! It was all fiction, wasn’t it?!

This plan was shaky, and if push came to shove, one of us would get framed for attempted murder, tampering with a crime scene if something really did happen, and our true relationship would be revealed to the others…

My fist tightened around the metal bat in my hand. No… If anyone was going to get exposed, it would be Mahiru.

I overheard Mahiru and Hiyoko talking, so I stepped in to manipulate the situation to my convenience. It was Peko’s idea to use the beach house though.

In fact, Hiyoko should be on her way right about…

“Young master, Mahiru should be on her way, and I see Hiyoko on the main road,” Peko said, breaking me from the downward spiral my thoughts had begun to descend.

“Right, thank you, Peko.” I hid the metal bat under a nearby table and went into the out-of-order shower room.

I took one last glance at Peko before shutting the door behind me.

Peko will be fine… That snot-nosed brat won’t get the best of her, no way!

A few minutes of silence precede me up until the moment of truth.

“Mahiru! You said you w-.”

There was a small scuffle, the sound of two doors closing, and then complete silence.

That’s Peko for you, always the right woman for any job, even outside of… This.

She knocked on the shower room door twice, meaning it was safe for me to come out.

“The drugs should be in place for at least an hour and no later. If something goes bad, well-.”

I nodded, “Don’t worry, this shouldn’t take long. If this is only a work of fiction, then nothing should happen, right?”

Peko didn’t verbally point out the obvious flaw in my logic, but I saw how she disagreed with the squint of her eyes and the rise of her chest. She returned to her standard facial expression and traded places with me in the shower room.

I sighed and leaned against the table, waiting for the time to pass.

With Hiyoko incapacitated, and Peko currently hiding, no one would ever know she was involved in my plan.

She could swim with all the other girls, and she wouldn’t have to worry if a class trial were to happen… Her alibi would be rock-solid if she were at the diner with the other girls, and if I got found out, so be it.

Peko had played her role… Now it was time for me to play mine.

That was the last clear thought I had before Mahiru entered the beach house.

“I-It’s you!” she exclaimed, “What are YOU doing here?!”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“F-For good reason!” Mahiru quickly regained her composure and looked away, “I just… I couldn’t come to terms with it…”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, “Yeah, but I knew it would be best to come to the most level-headed of the quartet.”

It wasn’t a total lie. Mikan would start shooting off at the mouth or do something oddly sexual before I could even begin to explain myself, Hiyoko was a god damn loudmouth and would tell the first person she saw, and Ibuki… Ibuki was Ibuki, and as strange as she appears, I think she knows a lot more than she lets on. She would probably keep her mouth shut and take the entire incident with her to the grave, hell, she was doing it already.

“It just made sense… That, and I wanted to confront the one who personally had a hand in ensuring my sister’s murderer went free!”

Mahiru frowned, “So, that’s what this is about?” she looked back up at me with a disapproving look in her eyes…

I hated that look.

“That means you played the game, how else would you have known?”

“I did… And I connected the dots. You know who killed my little sister!”

I saw something flash in Mahiru’s eyes… Something akin to shame and regret.

“I wish… I knew what to tell you. As far as I’m concerned, the game is a complete work of fiction, and I can tell you think the same…”

She was making too much sense… And she was right too.

“D-Damn it! Answer me, who-.”

_“Hey, if that game is actually real… Are you the one who killed Girl E?”_

I immediately shot back, “Hey… I don’t want to hear about that!”

I hate that she knew… This meant she was also looking for answers here.

“The fact that your sister was killed is terrible… It’s unfortunate…but…” she looked at me, a fierce look replacing the shame and confusion, “You shouldn’t have killed that girl!”

“W-Who cares about that, just answer me! What do you know about that game-?”

“You had no right to do that! Nobody has the right to judge others for their crimes!” Mahiru shouted, pointing her finger right back at me.

_“Revenge is... just wrong!”_

At that moment, I saw red. I wasn’t aware of the words leaving my mouth, nor did I realize my actions.

I should have stopped myself.

“Young master… I am finished.”

Her voice immediately snapped me out of the stupor I was in. My eyes were immediately drawn to Mahiru’s body: limp… unmoving…

Dead.

I noticed the lack of weight in my right hand, and my head turned up to meet Peko’s eyes staring right back at me.

“Y-You… What the hell did you do?!” my eyes kept darting between her and Mahiru’s body, “Y-You already know, right? What’s going to happen… After you kill someone?!”

“I did it because I know,” she replied cooly, her voice as monotone as usual, “There is no way I can let **that** happen to you.”

We exchanged words back and forth, but I could focus at all.

Peko never… She was never supposed to…

I was going to kill Mahiru… Her blood was meant to stain MY hands…

Not hers… Never hers.

“You need to run, got it?! Just let me take the fall so you can get away!”

“Young master… That is impossible.”

“S-Shut up! I’m ordering you not to worry about me!” the words tasted foul coming out of my mouth.

“There is no way I cannot worry about you…” her body turned to face me, the bloodstained bat in her hands brandished like a sword, “I am my young master’s tool… A tool to protect my young master-.”

No… Please, Please… Not this again-

“God damn it, we are DONE with that crap! Why can’t you listen to what I’m saying?!”

Peko hesitated before speaking again, “Regardless, I will not flee… Besides, I’m fairly certain they’ll discover the truth soon enough.”

Hajime and Chiaki… And that Nagito bastard too-

Damn it… Damn it!

I didn’t understand her motives then… Hell, sometimes I still don’t understand them…

But there was something I knew for certain,

It was my fault she was going to be dead soon… If her plan didn’t succeed, that was the end of the line.

_‘The day you accept the fact I am both your sword and shield, the easier it will be for you to accept it when I inevitably meet my end.’_

Shit… Why is that coming back to me now?!

“You better run away, got it?! Just forget about me, forget about the Kuzuryu Clan! You better escape!”

I should have stayed with her…

Until the very end, until Peko’s plan was fully realized…. I should have stayed.

But I still ran away, digging her grave even deeper.

|-|-|

Peko was a brilliant woman. She was smart, crafty, strong…

And yet, that Hajime Hinata saw through her like a piece of glass. Hajime and Chiaki picked her apart the second all the pieces of the puzzle fit into place.

Peko, who stood tall until the very end, had her layers pulled back until there was nothing left.

When it came time to vote, I could only stare at my touchpad, my eyes darting between selecting myself and Peko.

I could feel her eyes on me, and I looked up to meet them.

I could hear her talking to me with those eyes alone.

_‘Don’t do it. It’s pointless.’_

_‘We both know I’m guilty.’_

_‘I’m sorry I failed.’_

I looked back down and begrudgingly selected Peko’s icon, and I hated myself for it.

|-|-|

I was too late.

I came to her defense far too late.

Perhaps if I had… Then I would have been chosen as the blackened, and Peko would be able to go free and live…

When Hajime pointed out my hesitation, it forced me to come to grips with everything.

My feelings, my actions, Peko’s motives, how she must be feeling… God…

_‘My duty as a tool has already been completed in full.’_

She was never a tool, and I believed that from the very bottom of my heart.

_‘There is no way I cannot worry about you.’_

Of course, you couldn’t…I always dragged you into my mess… Always.

_‘He even hates me, the tool given to him by his household.’_

Peko thought I hated her? No… No, that was the farthest thing from the truth.

I treasured her like I treasured no other. Despite how much I wanted her to stay away from me, I always found comfort in her presence… She was observant, did she not see things that way?

Peko was my hope… Just as that bastard Nagito said…

…Fuck.

“How many times did I tell you? I don’t want a tool given to me by the Kuzuryu Clan!”

“Young master…”

Monokuma began to go on a monologue, followed by Nagito, but I was blocking out everything they had to say.

My only focus… Was on her.

She said I had a kind heart for a Yakuza… And then she begged the others not to cause a senseless killing like the one she had committed today ever again,

“Young master Fuyuhiko, please permit me to make one more, final, selfish request.”

“Didn’t I tell you… not to call me young master?”

“I want you to remember…” a genuine smile draped in sorrow slowly crossed her face, “The tool, Peko Pekoyama, who used to stand beside you… I would like it if you remembered that,” she looked away, her smile vanishing as her eyes refused to meet mine, “That’s it.”

I’m sorry Peko…

But there is no way I can honor that request.

My mouth started moving and my brain didn’t have the chance to catch up.

“How many times… do you have to keep…. I don’t need any tools…”

“… You did say that.”

I could hear Monokuma in the background, but I forced myself not to hear him.

“Jeez… Why don’t you get it yet? You stayed by my side all this time… Why don’t you get it?”

My mind and defenses shouted at me to slow down, by I couldn’t. If I stopped right now…

“I never needed a sword or shield… I never needed a tool… So…”

This would be the one time both my mouth and mind were in agreement.

“You didn’t need to become a tool… You-You just needed to be yourself.”

I thought of that smile, I thought of that look in her eyes when she was focused… I saw her kindness, bravery, and hell, even her sheer force of will was something to admire.

“I-I never wanted a tool! I just wanted you… Only you.” I turned my head up to face her, her expression of absolute bewilderment a direct contrast to my own, “Wh-Why? Why couldn’t you understand?! We’ve always been together, ever since we were kids!”

Monokuma’s voice rang through, “Let’s go! IT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!”

“P-Please Peko… Don’t go!” I reached out for her with shaky steps, my tears spilling down my cheeks, “I need you! Don’t leave me!”

I watched as her facial expression changed from shock, horror, and finally realization as tears began to pour their way down her face.

“Young… master? Young master!”

My hand had barely grasped Peko’s before that god awful chain I hoped to never see around her neck shot out from the darkness and dragged both her and me to the slaughter.

|-|-|

Because of my training, I had incredibly fine-tuned ears…

That meant I could hear them even as I dragged off to my death.

 _‘What the hell is Fuyuhiko doing?!’_ Kazuichi.

 _‘Coach Nekomaru, we gotta get in there! They’re both gonna die!’_ Akane.

 _‘Is that fiend trying to defy the will of causality?!’_ Gundham.

 _‘It seems… we have our answer.’_ Nagito.

 _‘They… They deserve each other! He made her kill Mahiru!’_ Hiyoko…

My young master was gripping my hand, I could feel it… I could feel his nails digging into the skin of my hand, but I know he wasn’t doing it on purpose.

He just wanted to hold on until he couldn’t any longer, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to do the same.

He was still crying too, and with every shudder of his body, his grip only tightened.

It pained me to let go when we were both cast into that open field.

There was water and soon followed were thundering footsteps. Fuy- my young master and I were separated even farther by… Monokuma warriors?

I could hear my young master calling out for me, but I lacked the strength to call back to him, for I was no longer in control of my actions.

I drew my blade, and I was on the move.

_‘I am sorry…’_

I made quick work of every warrior in my path, and one by one, they all fell.

Was this Monokuma’s plan, to have me fight to exhaustion?

I continued to swing my blade, the actions blocking, dodging, and swinging becoming the only things on my mind.

I was destined to fight… So this was fine. As long as he stayed out of this, I could fight until the very end.

As I cut my way through the warriors, I kept trying to find him, where was he?

He wasn’t in the clearing anymore, where did he go?

Sweat beaded at my forehead as my body continued to move. Did he make it back to the trial grounds, is that what happened?

As long as he was safe, as long as he was alive-

I saw one of the warriors jump at me from the corner of my eyes, and I quickly countered it with a slice down the middle…

And then… My young master screamed.

My blade, covered in blood, his blood fell from my hands and I rushed to catch him before his body hit the ground.

_N-No… No, not him-_

There was so much blood coming out, I didn’t know what I was going to do…

I killed him, I killed him, I killed him-

The warriors began to swarm us as I held his limp body to mine.

His heartbeat was faint… I could feel it thumping against his chest, albeit slowly.

But if there was a chance, even the slimmest chance he would survive once I was gone…

I would take it without hesitation.

I held his body in my arms and began to pray. I had never prayed before, but I figured now would be a good time to start. I pressed my lips to his forehead, a bold move I would suppose, but I had to leave him something…

Both a goodbye, a thank you… And an apology.

Goodbye, because I have finally reached the end of the line.

Thank you for allowing me to live beside you.

And I’m sorry for never realizing sooner… And now I’ll never be able to fully understand.

_‘Please, Fuyuhiko… Stay alive!’_

And I felt the first blade plunge through my body.

|-|-|

My body felt stiff, heavy… But also like it was floating at the same time.

Had I died? Is this what the afterlife felt like? Just a whole bunch of nothing?

…

Is Peko still alive?

…

Then it hit me all at once.

I grabbed Peko’s hand and was brought to the execution grounds… She was fighting for her life and my body just moved on its own.

Then the pain… Blinding, white-hot pain. Peko’s blade cut through me effortlessly, and her horror-stricken face was the last thing I saw before I closed my eyes.

After that, I woke up.

I woke up screaming, and once I started, I simply couldn’t stop.

I felt completely out of control, limbs flailing around desperate for purchase, my ears ringing, and a burning sensation that coursed through my body.

_‘Make it stop!’_

Spots filled my vision, and the world went out of focus. I could feel the blood seeping from my mounds…

And then I returned to that place… That place of complete darkness and isolation.

|-|-|

The next time I woke up, Monokuma was at my bedside, that infuriating smile on his face.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the second I tried to get a word out, I doubled over in a coughing fit.

“Puhuhuhuhuhuhu! So the puppet master awakens!”

I spotted a glass of water on the bedside table and gulped it down without a second thought.

“Y-You- Shut the hell up!”

Monokuma’s voice made me want to rip my ears off… Everything about his presence, especially now served to grate on my nerves.

“Bastard, wh-where is she?!”

“Who?”

“Don’t fuck with me! You know exactly who the hell I’m talking about!” I gripped my bedsheets, “What happened to Peko?!”

“Oh, that wannabe tool? She’s dead, just as planned!”

… I knew it.

From the moment I woke up, I felt it… A certain disconnect and hollowness, like a piece of the puzzle that made me a person had gone missing.

“As I said before, no one as meddlesome as her could ever be considered a tool!”

“Tch…. I hate that you’re right about that… She was always getting involved when she didn’t need to, and she was stubborn as hell… But you’re wrong to say her death was meant to happen!”

“Oh?”

“Mahiru was never supposed to die by Peko’s hand… She was never… It should have been me who died, not her!”

“Then die, I don’t really care!” Monokuma covered his mouth and laughed, “Stab yourself in the stomach, hang yourself from the ceiling, jump out the window, it just makes my job easier!”

Monokuma let out a cackle and promptly vanished from sight.

My brain and body were both completely overwhelmed, and as much as I wanted to go back to sleep so I could make sense of it all, I couldn’t.

There was a complete imbalance, both physically and mentally, in my body. I felt as though I were on a ship during a storm, the unruly tide rocking me back and forth threatening to throw me overboard.

I was still in immense pain, regardless of the drugs continuously being pumped into my body. There was a constant, throbbing ache behind my right eye, and my whole body just felt weighed down to my hospital bed…

I stayed up all night, unable to think of anything but Peko’s sacrifice and my own actions.

If my head had just been a little clearer if I had simply stopped to fucking think-.

Mahiru would still be alive… And most importantly, Peko wouldn’t have died trying to protect me.

And that truth was what sent me over the edge.

Peko was gone, she was never going to come back, and it was all my fault.

I placed both hands on my head, screaming out in absolutely heart-wrenching despair. A single stream of tears flowed down my face as I questioned myself.

Why?! Why did you get her involved?!

Why didn’t you try harder?!

Asking her why she didn’t understand, why couldn’t YOU understand?!

“Damn it, damn it all to hell!”

I felt the ghost of a kiss on my forehead, my grief threatening to consume me whole.

I never got to thank her for everything she’s done for me up to this point… For always being there when I acted like I wanted nothing to do with her.

And I never got to tell her how much I truly treasured her… That I loved her with all my heart, and if I could trade my life for hers right this second…

I would do it without a single second's hesitation because in the world I live in, she was the one true constant I could always trust…

But I never told her that… And now I would never get to.

That truth made me want to tear my heart from my chest, but I knew that alone wouldn’t be enough to atone for the wrongful death of Peko Pekoyama.

“Peko… Peko, I’m… I’m so sorry!”

And all I could do was hope she could hear me from the other side.

|-|-|

At some point during my hospitalization, the others minus Hiyoko found me. Apparently, it hadn’t been as long as I thought since **that** happened.

“What? You all look like you’ve seen a ghost…”

“F-Fuyuhiko! Are you alright?” Hajime asked, the last person to come across me.

“Heh… It’s just a scratch.”

“Th-That’s not a scratch at all though…” Mikan piped up immediately.

As expected of the Ultimate Nurse, although my injuries were obvious.

“Well, I’m relieved to see you! I was worried you were done for!” Nekomaru’s boisterous voice filled the room.

“Heh… There’s no way I can die from something like this,” I said, “There’s no way… I can die.”

Not after what Peko did for me.

Mikan turned to address the group, “Earlier, I asked Monokuma and he showed me his medical records… But they were relatively light wounds. No organs or nerves were damaged,” Mikan almost sounded… impressed? Excited, maybe?

“Considering how fiercely he was attacked, this is pretty miraculous!”

“Haha… You’re a ballsy one. Is that what they call having the devil’s luck?” Kazuichi asked sweat beading at his forehead.

Kazuichi… He was probably right, why else would I be here right now?

“…Who knows? Maybe it wasn’t luck,” Chiaki piped up, “Maybe… Peko gave her life to protect Fuyuhiko.”

“She protected him while she was getting attacked by that horde of marionettes?!”

“But if she really wanted to protect Fuyuhiko at all costs, it’s not strange to think… She would have done that. No, I think it's better if we think about it like that,” Chiaki turned to me with a curious look in her eyes, “You think so too, right Fuyuhiko? That must’ve been what you thought…There’s no way you can die, right?”

I was silent for a little while, and I rolled over in my bed, unable to face the group any longer.

“…Who knows?”

I forced out those last words and couldn’t bring myself to say anything else.

They might have believed I was being difficult but in reality…

I was doing my best not to burst into tears again.

The group immediately became lively again, but I tuned them out for the most part.

They were really, really loud… But I think I can handle it if I’m going to live out the rest of this killing school trip with them.

Who knows… Maybe I’ll find something in them I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

But Hiyoko… Hiyoko might be a bit of a problem.

|-|-|

Mikan told me that my eye was damaged beyond repair the next day. I’m not too surprised, I said it myself after all: “An eye for an eye is the world I live in.”

When unwrapping my bandages and redressing my wounds with a type of finesse I don’t believe I would have expected from her if I hadn’t seen it for myself, she handed me an eyepatch with a dragon on it.

“I-I fashioned it mys-self… D-Do you like it?”

The dragon… It matched the one twisting around the cloth covering Peko’s blade.

I nodded, “I do… Can you show me how to put it on?”

Mikan practically leaped at the opportunity, hunting down a mirror so I could watch as she put it on.

“D-Did I do a good job? I-Is is tight e-enough o-or too loose?”

I shook my head, a grin slowly spreading on my face, “No... It’s perfect.”

Once again, Mikan was absolutely beaming with pride.

“Do you mind if I come to the restaurant today? I have some… Loose ends to tie up.”

Mikan looked at my wounds thoughtfully, “Your wounds were light, and they’re healing nicely… I suppose that if I accompany you and bring a pair of crutches just in case, you’ll be fine.”

Well, it was better than nothing I suppose.

And with that, Mikan assisted me back to the central island.

|-|-|

The others may have seen what I was doing as especially foolish, but I had been mustering up the courage to do this for hours!

I snuck one of the knives off the table, slipped it in my right sleeve, and went to greet the others.

“I got something I wanna say!”

“Fuyuhiko?! Is it ok for you to be moving around like this so soon?!”

“W-Well… He shouldn’t be-.”

“Whatever I say after this point, I apologize if I make a mistake!” I simply kept going despite Hajime’s interruption, because if I let something little like this stop me, I’d totally chicken out, “My last name is Kuzuryu! My first name is pronounced Fu-yu-hi-ko!”

“I’m still an inexperienced member of my family’s business! From this point forward, I hope we get along so we can get to know each other better!”

“Just... What the hell was that?” Gundham was the first to recover from my greeting.

Jeez, maybe this was a crappy idea-/

“I-It’s nothing, really… Just a greeting…”

“Um… That eye patch of yours…”

“Ah… It’s nothing.”

“There’s no way that’s nothing, since… that eye is no longer…” Mikan started.

“So, you can’t see out of it, huh…” Nekomaru said with a twinge of pity in his voice.

“Heh… It’s only one eye. Besides, don’t I look like I’ve gained some prestige or somethin’?” I couldn’t lie, this eyepatch Mikan made for me was badass as hell!

“F-Fuyuhiko…” Sonia seemed speechless.

And then she finally spoke up.

“Why are you acting all cool and stuff? Don’t you understand the position you’re in right now?!” Hiyoko exclaimed, “Do you really think we’ll forgive you that easily for what you did?! Don’t you get it? It’s your fault Mahiru is dead!”

Hiyoko leveled eyes with me, and with an almost chilling ferocity said, “No, it’s not just Mahiru. Peko died because of you too. It’s all your fault!”

I could only listen to her of course… Because everything she was saying was true. She deserved to say these things to me.

“U-Um, Hiyoko… We’ve finally been able to get together with everyone…” Mikan started probably trying to change the subject.

“Huh? So what if we’re all here? You better not say we’re “friends” or something!” Hiyoko pointed at me, her glare unwavering, “There’s no way a killer like him will ever be our friend!”

I let out a sigh and looked at her, “Yeah, you’re right… It’s all my fault. I already know that… It’s my fault those two are dead.”

“Are you just planning to just give us your “so what?” attitude?!”

“It’s not that…”

I fell to my knees immediately, bowing in front of the group on both hands and knees. It damaged my pride a little bit, but it had to be done.

“F-Fuyuhiko?!”

“Huh? What the heck?!” Hiyoko exclaimed, her voice losing a lot of its initial ferocity, “Hey, don’t mess with me! Do you really think we’re gonna forgive you if you drop to your knees and cry?!”

“Do you really think a half-assed apology will make us forget what you’ve done?!”

“No… I don’t think that at all.”

This was it, the moment of truth… I couldn’t back down out of this now, because if I did-

I gripped the blade, guiding it toward my stomach. I let it sink in and cut a jagged x into the skin.

And the blood began to spill.

Ibuki and Mikan let out screams of horror, followed by Hiyoko and Kazuichi’s confusion. Mikan rushed to my side, but I brushed her off.

I had to do this… On my own two feet!

“I-I didn’t think I’d be forgiven with such a half-assed apology…” I grunted, “But if I don’t do this… m-my feelings won't feel resolved.”

“You fool! That doesn’t mean you should slice your stomach!”

“We must carry him to the hospital as soon as possible!”

Nekomaru, Kazuichi, and Mikan were all over me trying to get me to the hospital.

I can only hope… This wasn’t for nothing.

|-|-|

Mikan was making a fuss, running around the hospital to get ready to put me under for surgery.

“Nngh… Not a big deal..”

Mikan ignored me, setting up her equipment and sterilizing the needle she was about to jab inside me.

She slipped the oxygen mask around my head, and that was the last thing I saw before completely losing consciousness.

When I woke up, there was a dull ache in my stomach… It’d probably be a lot worse without these pain drugs Mikan had me on.

“Damn it…”  
I looked around and Mikan was nowhere to be found. She might just be getting a snack or prepping something medicine-related, hell if I knew…

I covered my face with my arm with a groan, ignoring the pain from my other wounds beginning to flare up.

“Damn it…”

You idiot… What the hell were you thinking?! No, were you even thinking at all?!

Cutting open your stomach like that, making trouble the way you did, and having those thoughts… What’s your fuckin’ problem?!

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

You stupid son of a-

And right then, Mikan walked in, “F-Fuyuhiko! I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon!” she rushed to my side immediately, “Are you feeling any pain? Any aches or bleeding?”

“I-I have some pain… Mostly in my stomach, the rest is probably just my old wounds.”

Mikan checked over her handiwork before opening a nearby cabinet to get my pain medication.

…

“Hey, Mikan?”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever… Lost someone before?” I asked hesitantly, “Like, someone really, really close to you?”

Mikan nodded, “I was pretty lonely before r-right now… A lot of people h-have came and left my l-life,” she placed a hand over her heart, “I-I think I had someone… I feel it, b-but I have two voices going t-to war in my head. One voice is telling me to seek that person out and leave all this behind, but the o-other one is telling me that this feeling I’m feeling… It’s wrong and I should get away from it. Even as we-we speak I’m still torn.”

“Yeah… That’s exactly how it feels. Hell, that’s how it feels. I had feelings for her, but I never acted on them until the very last moment… And look at where it got her.”

Something about what I said must’ve struck a chord deep in Mikan because the look in her eyes at that moment…

She was pissed.

“Is that why you tried to throw your life away earlier?” her stutter appeared to vanish, “Because you think Peko’s sacrifice was wasted on you?! That’s not true at all, and you should know that better than anyone else in the world! She wouldn’t give her life to ensure your safety if she didn’t have faith you would still be here after she was gone! She loved you just as much as you did her, and you were willing to throw it all away just like that?!

I flinched at Mikan’s words because as harsh as they were to hear, it was all the truth.

“You can’t let her sacrifice be in vain… If you died right now, you would be no better than a lowly coward!”

Mikan’s breathing was heavy, but she quickly regained her composure.

“S-Sorry for shouting! O-Oh god, what came over me?!”

“Hey… Don’t worry about it,” I gave her the best smile I could muster, “Thanks, Mikan.”

Mikan’s face went alight with joy, “Y-You’re welcome, Fuyuhiko!”

Maybe… Getting along with the others wouldn’t be so bad…

|-|-|

When Monokuma introduced his new motive, the “Despair Disease,” I never expected Ibuki and Hiyoko to end up victims... Even more so, I never expected Mikan to fall under its effects either.

She appeared to have succumbed to despair with terrifying ease and was smiling as she was dragged to the slaughter.

Did her lover, her beloved turn her into this?

And if that was true, was her beloved the one who dragged us into this?

What the fuck was wrong with them?! Why would they put us through something like this?!

Contrary to what Nagito believed, there was no way Mikan was like this from the beginning…. She blamed us for how she came out, but she was lonely, right?

Despair and her beloved had to have taken advantage of her, and then completely fucked her over in the end. Even as she was dying, it felt like a mockery of who Mikan was, and it was disgusting.

Whoever was behind this... Whoever was making us suffer, and forcing us to fight to the death…

They definitely had some hell to pay.

|-|-|

That night, I had my first nightmare in almost 4 years.

I hadn’t had a nightmare since the start of middle school, and it was humiliating that this happened my first night back in my cottage.

I was at the execution grounds with Peko, and I’d been shoved farther out than I had the last time.

And just like that, it was playing like a movie in my head, but every time there was a different ending.

The first time, Peko’s blade completely cut through me, no hope of beginning to salvage my corpse. The second time, I was too late before Peko was completely overwhelmed by the Monokuma soldiers.

The third time, it was playing out just like it had before, but I was having a much harder time, navigating my way through the crowd. A Monokuma soldier got in my way, I shoved it out of my path.

My mistake was made clear when the soldier in question hurdled toward Peko, and I was too late to warn her. It slammed into her, knocking her off balance, and thrusting her directly onto one of the soldiers’ blades from behind.

_‘Fu-Fuyuhiko-.’_

The blade jutted out her stomach, rendering her immobile. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as more and more blades slid through her arms, legs, and every other place imaginable.

And all I could do was watch as the life drained from her eyes, and her body ceased to put up a struggle.

I-I pushed her…

I killed Peko.

In my dream, I started screaming, Peko’s blood finding its way to my hands as the sight burned itself into my brain.

Then there was a sickening crack resounding through the silence. Her head separated from her body and landed on the ground with a resounding thud, and it rolled until it came to a complete stop at my feet.

Her lifeless red eyes stared back at me, radiating absolutely nothing but despair.

My reaction was delayed, but once I started screaming, I simply couldn’t stop.

I pushed Peko…. She’d died and-and-

I woke up from my dream screaming, and I was so unaware of my surrounding, I didn’t notice them at my door.

My body was completely consumed in panic as I flung myself out of bed and to the nearest trashcan, choking on my own despair.

I pushed Peko… She died-

I dry heaved over the trashcan; the little amount of food I had eaten today most likely already having been digested. However, my body refused to relent, forcing my back to arch painfully and tears to spring to my eyes as I choked on my own despair.

The way she looked at me before dying…

What broke me from the spiral I was in was a series of knocks on my door.

“Fuyuhiko! It’s Sonia and Gundham! Are you doing alright?”

“Everything’s fine, just go away!”

I saw my door swing open, and Gundham simply strolled in like he owned the place.

“Wh-What the hell did I just-? How the-?”

“Gundham’s Dark Devas informed him of a disturbance near the cottages, pardon the intrusion!” Sonia exclaimed, holding Gundham’s hamsters in her arms.

“So, fiend, what disturbs you in the midst of your slumber?” Gundham asked with his arms crossed, his presence a tad more intimidating than usual.

“It’s nothin’, thank for checking though,” I grumbled, my stomach finally settling.

The orange and white hamster, San-D, scuttled over to me, squeaking at the top of its lungs.

Sonia’s eyes narrowed, “We heard you screaming when we approached the cottages, everything cannot be just fine.”

My eye started to throb in pain, “I swear it’s nothing…”

“Your aura speaks of great horrors Kuzuryu,” Gundham commented, “Perhaps it has something to do with the fallen maiden formerly known as Peko Pekoyama?”

If I weren’t so tired, I would have tried picking a fight with the guy, but instead, I held my tongue.

“Your silence speaks volumes, fiend.”

“Call me a fiend all you want, doesn’t change the fact I want you to-.”

“You need not be ashamed of your feelings Fuyuhiko!” Sonia exclaimed, plopping down by my side, “I believe it is only natural to feel this way after such a grand loss!”

I finally relented, my shoulder slumping with a sigh, “I know, I know… Just didn’t expect it to feel this bad y’know?”

I heard Gundham take in a breath before speaking, “There is always a war to fight after the battle. The scars you have may never heal over, however, to acknowledge those scars is to accept the result, and the acknowledge the result is to heal.”

“… I’m sorry, what?”

“I think Gundham is trying to say that the battle may be over, and the war raging, but the war is simply a means to an end, or at least, a significantly more peaceful beginning.”

Gundham made a noise akin to a grunt, “Yes, that is quite accurate.”

Sonia held Maga-Z and San-D in both hands, “I’m sure that I would be in a similar position to you if Gundham were to meet his end in such a brutal manner… But then, I would remember his words that give me so much strength…”

“Raise your head, fiend! Stare at the battlefield head-on and face it on your own two feet! You need not tremble in the face of the devil, for you have an iron will of hope to survive!”

Sonia cheered him on, making Gundham blush behind his purple scarf.

San-D scuttled into my lap, and then Sonia taught me how to pet him properly. While she did that, I thought over Gundham’s words, and while they were mainly confusing, they were also inspiring.

Don’t tremble in the face of the devil he says?

I don’t know how I’ll be able to manage that, especially when despair lurks around every single corner, but I won’t let it win.

If I let this despair win…. Then I’ll never get to see out the hope Peko placed in me.

I couldn’t let her down.

“Thank you, Sonia, Gundham.”

Nekomaru and Gundham both died mere days later in a heartbreaking act of suicide. Sonia and Akane respectfully were both devastated.

After we left the trial grounds, Akane lingered near for a few moments longer than usual, and Sonia was practically running in the sand to get away from the rest of us. I asked Akane to meet me at the market, but I knew that getting Sonia to agree would be much more difficult.

I knocked on her door and heard her footsteps patter against the hardwood floor.

“F-Fuyuhiko? What brings you here at this hour?” Sonia asked, retreating back into her cottage after opening the door for me.

Tissues littered the floor, and some books on animal care were stacked up on her bed. The Dark Devas had taken refuge on Sonia’s bed, huddled in a purple scarf.

I found Sonia in the bathroom; the door still opened. She was pushing a pastel purple cloth against her under eyes and gripping the counter like it would run away from her if she let go. I got a glimpse of her face in the mirror and winced; she had definitely seen better days.

“I want you to come with me and Akane to the market.”

“That is very kind of you, Fuyuhiko, however, I-I wish to be alone for now.”

“I can’t exactly leave you alone here… It’s not like the Devas can talk back.”

Sonia let out a weak little laugh as she attempted to apply makeup under her eyes, “No, I suppose they cannot.”

She paused for a moment, her fingers trembling around the applicator, “I just… I miss him dearly, I do… He and Nekomaru both knew the consequences of their actions, and the result would have been the same regardless of who died, but-.” Sonia wiped at her eyes, smearing the small bit of makeup she had been able to apply, “I-I can’t face Akane like this… I know she must be devastated.”

“Hey, you can’t take responsibility for their actions! They knew what was going to happen, and that has absolutely nothing to do with whatever affections you or Akane had for them!” I shoved my hands in my pockets, “Besides, all three of us have lost someone we care for right? The last thing anyone needs here is to be alone after somethin’ like that.”

Sonia’s tears eventually ceased, and she wiped the makeup off her face completely. She bustled around the room, making some minor adjustments to her person.

“Well, shall we be on then?”

I gave her a small smile, “Yeah, let’s go.”

Sonia followed me to the market, where Akane was patiently waiting leaned against the wall.

She spotted us coming and waved her hand, a wide grin on her face.

“Yo, Sonia! Baby Gangsta!”

“Please stop calling me that-.”

Sonia gave her a wave in return, “Evening, Akane.”

We all walked into the market, and it didn’t take long for questions to be asked,

“So what did you call us here for, Fuyuhiko? I never did get to ask why.”

“Well I thought that since Akane and Nekomaru were close, and Gundham and Sonia were clearly more than friends-,” Sonia went as red as her heels at that, “- and Peko and I didn’t know until it was too late… We all had somthin’ in common y’know?”

Akane slung her arm around my shoulder, “Damn, I never thought I’d see the day Fuyuhiko got all soft on us!”

“H-Hey! Get off me!” my face almost an identical color to Sonia’s.

“The gangster with a heart, yep, I got you all figured out now!”

“Like hell you d-.”

“You both are such an interesting pair, I’m a bit jealous.”

“Don’t think I forgot about you, princess!” Akane pulled Sonia to her just like she was doing to me, “I never expected you to be into Mr. Lord of Darkness: you’re just full of surprises!”

Sonia blushed a little brighter, “Well, I really liked how he and Ibuki had their own unique flair and had bold personalities to accompany it. I found it very admirable.”

“So, you like confidence in a man, eh?”

“No, No, you misunderstand! I like confidence regardless of gender!”

Akane turned her eyes on me, and in return, I wanted to shrink and hide.

“What about you, Baby Gansta? What d’ya like in a woman?”

“Hey, you can’t ask that kinda shit so casually!”

“C’mon! We’re all sharin’! We already know you got it bad for Peko!”

I groaned, looking around the store for the aisle we needed to go down.

“Well, if you’re gonna insist… You can pick Peko out of the lineup. She has a more subtle beauty and grace to her that I don’t see in any other broad I’ve met, and she has all these good qualities; She’s smart, brave, stubborn… She’s just great.”

Akane raised her eyebrows at me, “Oh you got it BAD!”

“I do not!” I retorted, “I just really appreciate the positive influence she’s had on my life is all!”

“Nope, I see right through you, lover boy!” Akane smirked at me, “ You got hearts in your eyes!”

“I do not!” I repeated.

It felt easier than expected to fall into this kind of banter with Sonia and Akane… Almost too easy.

I turned down the Arts and Crafts aisle on the far end of the store and immediately bumped into something… or someone.

“Ah!”

I fell to the ground, and a loud clang echoed around me, “Son of a-.”

“Did the paint spill?!”

I opened my eye and saw Kazuichi fretting over two medium-sized buckets of metallic colored paint.

“Heya, Kazuichi! What’re you doin’ at the market?”

Kazuichi stood up, grabbing the paint from off the ground, “Just getting some materials…”

“Fuyuhiko requested both Akane and me to accompany him here, however it is still somewhat unclear as to why!” Sonia piped up.

“I was gonna tell you! I was just waiting for us to get the supplies…” I grumbled, dusting myself off.

“Miss. Sonia, I don’t notice you!” Kazuichi’s face went alight with joy.

Sonia smiled back at Kazuichi, but I had far too much experience with fake smiles to know the one Sonia was giving Kazuichi wasn’t the real deal.

“Hey… I’m sorry about Gundham. You too, Akane. I know they both knew what was going to happen, but that doesn’t change the reality, right?”

Sonia’s face briefly flickered with confusion, but then, a real smile replaced the former.

“Your condolences are much appreciated, Kazuichi.”

Akane punched her fist into an open hand, “’s fine! I’ll just kick his ass when I get to heaven for that stupid decision he made!”

She definitely meant was she said, but you could see in her eyes if you paid attention how much it pained her that he was gone.

Kazuichi looked at the paints hanging in his hands, “Well, I gotta go! I’ll see you in the morning at the restaurant!”

He rushed out, not even stopping to personally address Sonia again.

Weird… But I won’t pry.

We continued down the aisle, and I grabbed some clay, carving knives, along with a tarp, and let Sonia and Akane loose to find some paints.

“That reminds me, Fuyuhiko… You never did fully explain as to why we’re here with all these things,” Sonia commented on our way over to the checkout.

“Call it… A mini funeral precession,” I said with a look over my shoulder, “We can have a real funeral for our friends once we get the hell out of this place!”

We didn’t have a morgue on this island, so there were no bodies to bury as far as I was concerned, but then again, maybe it was for the best the bodies seemingly disappeared after the trials… My clan had enough resources to pull off a full-scale funeral regardless, so it would work out in the end.

“I like your spirit, Fuyuhiko!”

We walked out with bags full of supplies, but now we had to settle where we were going to go.

Sonia immediately shot down the idea of us visiting her cottage for this project of ours, and for good reason of course.

Next was Akane, but she was also quick to shoot the idea down.

“My room’s a mess. It’d mess up the entire vibe!”

“Alright… My place it is.”

I ushered them in and laid the tarp down on the floor, organizing the supplies accordingly.

“Make yourselves comfortable… We’re gonna be here a while.”

We circled around the tarp, taking lump after lump of clay from the amount I bought from the market to make something like a funeral stone.

Sonia went all out, decorating hers with clay flowers and vines around Gundham’s name.

Akane put Nekomaru’s in big, bold, letters with her knife, along with the name of his ultimate talent. She also did her best to draw some athletic wear and equipment on the clay.

After staring at my blank lump for a while, inspiration struck.

I took off my eyepatch, staring at the design Mikan crafted onto it.

I don’t think I could recreate it with as much finesse as she did… But it was worth a try, right? To honor her memory, I had to give it everything I had, right?

I took my scalpel and started to draw the dragon draping around Peko’s last name.

“Akane, you never told us about why you took a liking to Nekomaru,” Sonia piped up at a while.

“Huh? Oh, that? Well…” Akane ran a hand through her wild hair, “He was one of the first positive male influences in my life, y’know? He treated me with respect and it felt nice, ‘cause all the other men in my life were some fuckin’ assholes!” Akane turned to her with a genuine ear-to-ear grin, “That’s why I’m gonna make this the best almost tombstone ever!”

An hour or so later, Sonia moved on to drying and painting her clay, completely focused on her creation. I soon followed suit with Akane, coloring the dragon white and lightly painting over Peko’s name in black.

Maybe I should add some red too… She liked red, didn’t she?

_‘I want you to remember… the tool, Peko Pekoyama, who used to stand beside you. I would like it if you remembered that. That’s it.’_

She wasn’t a tool; that will forever remain true. In honor of that notion, I engraved something else under her name:

_“Peko Pekoyama: my first friend, and the silver light of my life.’_

It felt fitting, and I couldn’t help but be proud of what I created.

After we finished, we set them out to let the paint dry. In the meantime, I retrieved some incense and flowers with Sonia and Akane at the market.

Sonia and I began the proceedings, each of us taking turns praying, and wishing the deceased well in the afterlife. I took a little extra time even after they ended to talk to Peko once Akane and Sonia decided to tuck in for the night.

“Hey, Peko… ‘m sorry I haven’t given you a proper funeral yet. I promise the second I get to the mainland I’ll go all out.”

I laid back a little on the beach, “It’s crazy being without you, y’know? You were always there beside me, and now that you’re gone… It feels like life has lost some of its spark, y’know?”

The waves rocked back and forth, and I was half tempted to get in and let the water carry me home.

“Everyone is getting along better, or at least we’re trying to… I just wish you were here to see it.”

I placed my hands on the ground to lift myself from the sand, “I miss you a lot… I’m sorry Peko and… I hope I get to see you again…”

I was still holding back… Even after all this time, I still couldn’t say it.

What was holding me back from saying that?

I walked away from the arrangement Akane, Sonia, and I had made together, a heavy weight lifted off my heart.

Later, Sonia came to my door, thanking me for getting her out of her cottage.

“You just didn’t want either of us to wallow in our grief alone, right?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, “Y-Yeah, you caught me… I knew how it felt to have no one there, and I had a feeling Mikan did too, and that’s one of the reasons she stayed with me at the hospital. I wanted to keep it going, y’know?”

Sonia let the Dark Devas nibble at her, “I am truly grateful for this, Fuyuhiko. Thank you very much.”

“Don’t mention it… **She** would have done the same for me.”

And I knew that all too well.

|-|-|

Things were truly looking up at this point… Nothing awful had happened and the world seemed at peace for once.

But we all had known that false sense of security all too well, and the second despair stopped lurking, it came back with a vengeance.

Nagito set the hotel ablaze with fireworks, committed suicide, and set Chiaki up for failure all in a span of three days.

When we left the trial grounds, Hajime appeared to be on the verge of tears, his body on autopilot as he practically fought to get away from us.

I didn’t see him for the rest of the day, and in all honesty, I couldn’t blame him when Chiaki being the traitor hit us all really hard.

Those future foundation bastards… They were going to pay!

The next morning, I didn’t want to go to the restaurant, my body completely exhausted, but something told me I had to go. I absolutely had to go, and if I didn’t then I would miss something wonderful.

So, reluctantly, I got dressed and took myself to the restaurant.

I didn’t know if all this despair was getting to me or something… But when I was on the way there… I could swear I saw… Her.

Even as Hajime arrived and Nagito announced the password to the ancient ruins, ‘11037’, my mind was elsewhere.

What was… that… I just saw?

The confusion didn’t leave, and I was certain, the others were having similar feelings.

What the hell was going on?

Why was everyone we lost… coming back all of a sudden?!

My body was on complete autopilot the entire time on the way to the Ancient Ruins, and the closer we got, the more people began to appear.

“It’s going to be alright. You don’t have to worry… I will protect my young master.”

That was her voice… And she was standing right there in front of me-.

“Now then, let’s go forward together.”

“… The hell? Don’t treat me like a kid.”

What was I saying? Why wasn’t she-?

My body moved on its own, not even giving me a second to relish in all the things I wanted to say.

Inside the Ancient Ruins was another trial ground… And as quickly as the hope inside of me went aflame, it was quickly snuffed out.

Everyone was gone… And there was nothing left.

|-|-|

I only walked into the final class trial with more questions than I had answers to.

Why was Hiyoko so much older looking in that photo? Why were we inside Hope’s Peak Academy?

Who was Makoto Naegi, and why did he betray the Future Foundation to help the Remnants of Despair? Who were the Remnants of Despair?

The tragedy of Hope’s Peak Academy, the Izuru Kamakura Project… Just what the hell was going on?!

The class trial only made things worse; Monokuma claiming we’re inside a video game world, and then impersonating Makoto Naegi to throw us off. My brain was completely scrambled, and I knew the mess had only just begun.

Hajime presented the evidence that the Makoto we were seeing wasn’t real, but then… Monokuma had done something completely unprecedented.

He completely disappeared, and out came a gigantic version of the Ultimate Despair: Junko Enoshima. She took three large steps and whipped out a giant, bedazzled pink flip phone. She punched in three numbers and slammed the phone down, the real thing appearing on the screen.

“I-I know anything goes here… but this, this is clearly not fucking ok!”

Junko… That woman…

When I saw her, my whole body was filled with rage.

This was her? This was the fucking big bad we’ve been up against the entire time?!

This was the bitch that killed Peko, and the person who appeared to be Mikan’s beloved?

This pink-haired, bored bitch was Junko Enoshima?!

This had to be a joke… It felt like an unnecessarily cruel joke, a cruel dream that I couldn’t get away from.

And after everything, she has the nerve to cut a deal with us after everything she put us through?!

After everything… This is what she had to offer us?!

The anger within me quickly evaporated, and there was nothing left but desperation.

…

But then… I would get to see her again, right?

“Who fucking cares about logic?! As long as everyone who died comes back to life, that’s good enough!”

I…I’m tired… Of everything.

I’m sick of losing…

“Anything goes in this world! You’ve seen that happen so many times, right?!”

If I could see them again…

If I could just-

“H-Hold on a sec! We’re obviously going to get out of here! If it’ll bring our dead friends back, it’s all we can do!”

Then…

“Plus, everyone can go back together! So, there’s no reason to hesitate!”

If she comes back… I won't have to…

“Don’t worry about it… Everything’s gonna be over once we press this.”

The Makoto, the real one, appeared.

“Don’t press it! This is Junko’s trap!”

What’s going on?

Everything is a damn trap…

Why? Why?!

“And… Even if they’re overwritten by my Alter Ego, it doesn’t mean they’ll be a completely different person. The data of everyone who died is stored within me, so I’m sure I can convincingly act out their personalities,” Junko stated smugly.

“D-Don’t mess with me…”

Junko’s voice changed as she leveled her eyes on me, “In fact… I have a looot of data on Fuyuhiko, so I know some things that’ll make you happy~! I could play a version of Peko that’s more to your liking than she ever was!”

T-That BITCH!

“I said… DON’T FUCKING MESS WITH ME!!”

Her malicious laugh filled the trial grounds, chilling me right to my core.

The entire trial only spiraled further into madness, any thoughts of hope quickly fleeting.

Was this the end?

Was I going to die in this virtual reality, the embodiment of despair, never getting to do anything outside myself, and having never done anything to help her?

Even after Makoto revealed the forced shutdown sequence, Junko only laughed in his face.

This was it… This was… the end of the line.

“No need to worry… Even I didn’t know we couldn’t activate the shutdown.  
  


“You still came here when you knew we had no chance of winning?!” Kazuichi exclaimed.

“It’s not that we have no chance of winning… The only reason I’m here is because there **is** a chance.”

“Then try explaining it to us!” Junko interjected, “What is this “chance of winning” of which you speak?!”

“I believe…” Makoto started.

“Eh, whaaat? I can’t hear you. You gotta speak up since you’re sooo puny.”

_‘I believe in them! I believe **they** will definitely come!’_

“That’s not something you need to take your time saying.”

A girl adorned in purple and a burnt orange tie suddenly materialized in the courtroom. The same thing happened with a boy that looked like Byakuya… But skinnier.

“'Believe?’ Try putting yourself in our shoes before you drag us into situations like this…”

Makoto’s eyes lit up, “Kyoko, Byakuya! I knew you guys would come!”

Kyoko? Byakuya?

My brain was swimming, and even as the survivors of the killing school life explained the shutdown sequence to us, I couldn’t make anything of it.

All I wanted was to see her again…

How did we get involved in this mess? The Future Foundation, Junko Enoshima, and now Izuru Kamakura…

We were going to be erased… All the memories good and bad were going to disappear into nothing like they never even mattered at all.

Everything felt so… So hopeless.

And with that, I felt despair consume me completely, and undoubtedly.

_‘I want to see Peko one more time…’_

Natsumi was dead, but I still had **her**.

Now, I had nothing.

No hopes, no dreams, not even a single ounce of ambition remained.

Only despair.

Was this really a cruel joke? Or perhaps… Was it what I deserved?

I am to blame for both of their deaths, and who knows my body count from my time as a remnant.

Maybe this was truly the end for Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu: The despicable, cowardly puppeteer who led far too many to their deaths with a careless smile.

…

It was just like back then… My body weighed down… Drowning-Drowning-.

In the moment of my greatest despair in its most pure and unadulterated form…

There she was, once again, cutting through my despair with complete ease.

_‘Are you truly going to let things end like this, Fuyuhiko?’_

… What?

_‘Stand tall, never give in to despair!’_

My world was consumed in silver, and then…

“No, that’s wrong!”

Hajime had completely changed from who he was before, his body enveloped in hope.

This guy… He was really something else.

“I am not Izuru Kamakura… My name is Hajime Hinata!”

There was no fear in his eyes as he spoke, not even a shred of doubt or despair.

Hope. Hope shined through him like the warmest beacon of light, and he completely commanded the room.

This Hajime… He chose neither hope nor despair.

He chose the future, no matter how hopeful or rotten with despair it was.

I may have had the wrong idea about him at first… This guy was stronger than all of us, standing up on his own two feet the way he did.

And Peko… She was able to reach me despite the state she was in.

I could only smile as that very same hope reached me and inspired all of us.

Those two… They were seriously something else.

“I’m well aware it might be an act of suicide. There’s no telling how this’ll play out, but… I heard her voice. In fact, I think it was the first time she ever yelled at me,” my fingers hovered over the two buttons in front of me, “Heh, I can’t stand on my own two feet if she keeps treating me like a damn kid!”

The game began to disappear around us after we pressed the buttons, and we huddled around each other in our last conscious moments.

“Hey, I’ll never forget you guys or the others!” Kazuichi insisted, “You guys better remember me too! My name is Kazuichi Soda!”

“Huh… With your colorful personalities, there’s no way I’d forget about you that easily.”

“Even if I forget… I will use all my might to remember!” Sonia shouted.

“If you start talkin’ all weird, Hajime, I’ll beat you up ‘til you turn back to normal!”

“That’s a relief… But make sure you can hold back as much as you can.”

So… This was the end? The true ending?

Heh…

Whatever the future is, I’ll move forward no matter what.

I have to show her I can stand on my own two feet by the time she gets back, or else, what was all this for?

Just you wait… Just you fucking wait!

|-|-|

GAME OVER

FUTURE ENDING ACCOMPLISHED 100%

END THE SIMULATION?

(No) [(YES)]


End file.
